The boat tour around the river was a little boring. We were all tired and to sit in a boat for an hour some of us started to fall asleep. I had to keep waking Cory up so that he wouldn’t fall in. We really didn’t see much on the river except a few birds so it was quite boring. I was so bored I volunteered to row. The hike back was another 1 and ½ hours. After the Inca Trail and hike is going to be excruciating. I thought it was a wasted morning as we really didn’t see too much.

Later on that day we took a river boat tour looking for caimans. Caimans are in the alligator/crocodile class. It was a night tour so it was very dark with only a spot light to find the creatures. We saw about 6 of them. The ones we saw were very small, the biggest being about 2-3 meters in length. We got to about 2 meters from them. They looked really like baby alligators. Supposedly they are a lot bigger in the lake areas. You can spot them by shining light on their eyes and noticing the reflection. Even at night they’re very camouflaged. The hour tour was a nice change of pace from the hiking. After the tour we had dinner and went to bed. Lily noticed a few cockroaches (monstrous) in her dresser drawers. We complained about it the morning after but I doubt the lodge will do anything.

The Libertador Tambopata Eco Lodfe is a lush eco-lodge with very few amenities. There was no electricity in any of the room and hot water was powered by solar energy. Our guide was cool however he wasn’t enthusiastic about why the Eco Lodge was eco friendly. The amazon basin is lush with animals from parrots, frogs, snakes and jaguars. As soon as we arrived we saw several monkeys swinging about in the trees. It was quite tranquil listening to the voices of the animals echo through the rainforest. Soothing and calming at the same time.

We spent about an hour doing a night hike and saw some small creatures. We saw frogs, spiders and walking stick insects. I wanted to see a snake or a tarantula but we didn’t see much that night. After the walk we had a buffet dinner which was OK. Not the greatest meal but decent for catered food. After dinner it was off to bed so we could wake up at 6 a.m. to go on an Amazon jungle hike.

We found a pretty good Italian/Peruvian place that had exactly the same food as the Incan Grill. I had a chicken risotto with elderberry sauce. It was excellent. I ordered some Pisco Sours and ended up drinking with some the group afterwards. We found a pub and stayed out to about 2 a.m. It was the last night with all of them so what better way to celebrate than with a few beers. Sure am going to miss them all after the Peru trip is over.

The rest of the afternoon was provided for our own exploration of the city. A few of us decided to hike up Waynapicchu. It looked like a good idea at the time but it was pretty difficult. It was kinda like hiking up that last few miles of Half Dome at Yosemite. Small steps quickly turned into pretty high 2 foot leaps. It was a good workout on the quads. Going up and down proved quite difficult. Once we reached the top we didn’t have much time to hang out. We had to catch our bus to Aguas Caliente. We ran/walked as fast asa we could and was just in time to have lunch with the rest of the group. It was pretty good pizza and beer. I don’t think beer has ever tasted so good.

The train/bus trip back to Cuzco was a short 3 hours through the Andes. We saw our start point of the Inca Trail and the snow capped mountains surrounding the area. It was a nice relaxing ride back. A hot shower and some unpacking was in order as soon as we got back to the hotel. After everyone freshened up we headed down to the Inca Grill in the Plaza de Armas for dinner. I ordered the Guinea Pig with a bottle of Peruvian red wine. The guinea pig was good. It kinda tasted like a mixture between duck and pheasant. I wasn’t expecting that but it was pretty good. The wine flowed for a few hours and a few of us were feeling funny. Lots of pictures were taken and lots of stupid pictures should appear. It was a fun evening. A few of people in the group decided to hit the Disco. I was tired so Kate and I walked back to the hotel and crashed. Tomorrow we’ll explore Cuzco a little more. No plans as of yet.

The first ruin we saw leaving the campsite was Dunkurakay. It resembled an army outpost. Not really much in the way of architecture. It just sat high enough to look over the valley. The second site we saw was impressive. Sayaqmarka was the name of the ruin and it sat high above the valley. We got a history lesson about the site from Wilbert. I wasn’t really paying much attention cause I was admiring the landscape. From there it was mostly downhill for the rest of the day. We arrived at Winawayna at roughly 4:30 p.m. The ruin at Winawayna was spectacular. I think its probably next to Machu Picchu as the most amazing ruin on the Inca Trail. We had very little sun left so I didn’t get very many good pictures of the site. I wished we had arrived a little earlier. After the site we were ready for dinner and bed. The porters came into the dinner tent to say farewell and sing a song for us. They all looked pretty happy to be there and we shook all there hands before heading to bed. We leave for Machu Picchu tomorrow at 5 a.m. to catch the sunrise over the ruin from the Sun Gate. Can’t wait to see it for the first time.

Now we’re chilling at camp. It’s a little higher than yesterday at 3800 meters and a little colder as well. Total time on the trail today was about 9 hours. Tomorrow’s leg is supposed to be the longest. Hopefully there’s not a lot of elevation gain like today. Right now I’m exhausted and in dire need of some sleep.

The next place we stopped was a small woman village where clothing was made. For about 10-20 sol you could get a hat, socks or a pair of gloves. I picked up some hats for friends at home. We left the village and headed to a small market outside of Pisac on the way to Ollantaytambo. It was exactly like a flea market under canopy tents. I bought some more gifts and we were off to lunch in Ollantaytambo. The place we stopped off at was a buffet restaurant. It served pretty good vegetarian food made with corn, potatoes and other local vegetables. Nothing to rave about. The dessert was pretty good. I had a coca mousse. Very delicious.

The final stop for the day was Ollantaytambo, a small ruin built into the hillside. The ruin was actually very interesting and very windy. The hike up was strenuous and took about 40 minutes. Once we were at the top we could overlook the city of Ollantaytambo. We explored around the ruins and the group dispersed back to the hotel. I stayed a little longer to catch a glimpse of the sunset. It got pretty cold up there so I didn’t stay too long and also the place was closing.

We all met back at the hotel for a quick round of beers then we were off to dinner at a local restaurant called the Blue Puppy. There were only 3 (Barry and Cathy and I) of us as the rest of the group decided to eat elsewhere. My BLT was OK. I wasn’t expecting much but it turned out good for breakfast the next day. Supposed the breakfast the hotel served was a bun and orange juice. Lame! I enjoyed every bite of my BLT for breakfast. After dinner that night we had white chocolate cheesecake right down the street from our hotel. It was damn tasty. I wish I could have eaten that every day I was in Peru. We knocked out early after dinner. The day was exhausting.

After we checked in the group split and we were on our own for the rest of the afternoon, As soon as we started walking my head started to throb. The altitude change was drastic and my body could not handle it fast enough. I started to chew Cory’s coca leaves. Pretty gross in leave form but in teas its actually quite good. We stopped at the post office and Cory dropped off a postcard for his mom and we were off to lunch. We found a local restaurant that looked pretty decent off the main street. We sat down and ordered Alpaca. I had mine with a cream sauce and Cory had it sliced and grilled. It was pretty good. Tasted like grilled roast beef. After lunch we walked around the Plaza de Armas and checked out the stores around the area. We got lost on the way back as my GPS was pointing us about ½ mile off target. We backtracked and eventually found our way back. At one point one of the locals basically told us not to go down there which kinda frightened us. Regardless we were both tired as hell when we returned to the hotel. The altitude gave us pulsing migraines. We both ended up taking 3 hour naps.

I woke up and had some more coca tea which helped the headache calm down a little. Dinner was with the group at a fancy restaurant called the Inka Grill. Probably one of the best meals I’ve had so far. It was a shredded chicken in a creamy corn sauce. I don’t remember what it was called but the waiter recommended. It was superb. After dinner we went back to the hotel, packed our gear and went to bed. My pack was over the 6kg limit at 7.5 kg. My daypack was 17kg and my porters bag was 6kg, They should be paying me to porter. I hate my tripod. Damn it.

After a long 4 hour nap I was set to explore Lima. I hailed a taxi and was off to Plaza de Armas. Walking around was like walking around colonial Spain. The streets were lined with vibrant shades of yellow and red. You could tell there was history behind each building. Not too many shops were open today as it was “Dia de Trabajo” sort of like a Peruvian Labor Day. The sun was warm. As I walked amongst the crowd there was music echoing throughout the street. Young and old were marching to the beat of drums and melodies of the flute. Watching them dance was like watching birds fly. The music was intoxicating and made me feel like a part of the festival.

I made my way through and walked around for about an hour before heading back to the hotel. I unloaded a few things and walked towards the beach which was about 20 mins away. When I arrived I saw the cliffs of Miraflores. The overlook was amazing. You could see roughly 10-15 miles down the coast. It appeared to be a big surf spot as well. You could see many surfers paddling to catch that perfect wave. The water looked a little murky. I think I’ll pass.I walked around the mall there alongside the cliff and got a cup of Papaya juice. It was the first real drink I’ve gotten since arriving. As I was standing there in line two men about 10 feet from me started a scuffle. I couldn’t tell what it was about but the crowd around seemed to grow infinite in size. I weazled my way out and enjoyed my fresh Papaya juice. On the way back I stopped off at a local restaurant called Las Tejas and ate a local favorite called Ceviche. It is a seafood dish with lemon squeezed on top. The oxidation process actually cooks the seafood. It was pretty good. It had some white fish and calamari and potatoes in it. Along with the meal I tried Inka Cola which I thought was quite tasty for a soda pop. Tasted somewhat like bubblegum. I bought the servers Ubaldo and Guzman a few cervezas which invoked quite a conversation about Lima culture. Learned a little Spanish as well.

After dinner I headed back to the hotel to meet the GAP group. My roommate named Cory was from Ontario, Canada. The rest of the group was from Canada, Australia, London and Sweden. I felt discriminated when I was the only American at the table. It was kinda weird talking to the Canadians. It was almost South Parkish when every sentence ended with Eh! They were cool though. After the greeting we all had cervezas down the street and then it was back to the hotel for an early 6 am wakeup call.